Firstly of yearly, customized Czech carbon bike builder Festka digs again via their social media feeds to crown their hottest bikes. And for 2024’s prime 5, it’s a mixture of subdued traditional and fashionable street bikes, plus a brand new race-focused gravel bike that we lined at Bespoked. Though stunning within the particulars, this seems like a much less flashy crop of bikes in comparison with latest years. Festka co-founder Michael Moureček attributes that to cyclists merely desirous to get again out and experience.
And the highest bike remains to be a stunner, from the restricted version Parts assortment with deep clear paint impressed by hearth!
Hottest 2024 Festka customized carbon street & gravel bikes
“The 12 months 2024 was marked by minimalist designs. I imagine this displays the closing chapter of the post-COVID period, when folks prioritized getting their bikes rapidly over specializing in design. In 2025, we anticipate a big shift towards personalised designs and distinctive builds. Even now, anybody can create their dream Festka bike utilizing the configurator on our web site and ship it to us.“
– Michael Moureček, Festka Product Supervisor & Co-Founder
Let’s look again at these prime bikes and get slightly perception on what they imply for Michael. However first…
I personally have a little bit of a delicate spot for this fifth slot, because it jogs my memory of my very own Festka.
Full disclosure: I purchased a frameset from them as a part of their unique Project200 sequence again in 2012 earlier than I began with Bikerumor, earlier than Festka had really began making their first carbon frames. That bike grew to become the unique Festka One Gravel, and has the same, nearly low-key clear chameleon inexperienced paint job revealing the distinctive construction of the CompoTech wound carbon tubes beneath. And naturally, regardless that mine is extra ‘all-road’, it’s nonetheless laborious to argue with that bling Campy groupset.
Of word… the One sequence is being retired, with simply the final hundred full bikes as a restricted version earlier than Festka ends manufacturing of the body that laid the inspiration for the remainder of their customized carbon bikes.
OK, again to the precise High 5 bikes…
fifth place: Festka Scalatore for Bike owner Wardrobe
“The sort of design, primarily based on clear colors, modifications with the depth of sunshine. In daylight, the distinctive carbon construction turns into seen, whereas within the shade, the body seems as if it’s totally painted. We’ve been creating these designs for years, however they gained surprising recognition this 12 months, particularly when mixed with 24k gold accents.“
4th place: Festka Spectre Marble for Velodrom Barcelona
“The refined “marble” impact on this inexperienced is, in my view, a daring mixture. Even I used to be stunned by how placing the body seemed in particular person. No doubt, this is without doubt one of the key tendencies of 2024, mirrored within the work of different producers as properly.”
third place: Festka Spectre Gravel
“For me personally, this was the largest shock of the 12 months. I didn’t anticipate such overwhelmingly constructive reactions to this design from folks of all age teams. The body was showcased at Designblok and appeared to impress completely everybody—a uncommon achievement.”
We noticed this new Spectre Gravel again in October at Bespoked in Dresden. It’s the primary all-new bike mannequin for the model since their 2021 Scout (now discontinued, however quickly to get replaced by a revamped journey Rover). Whereas a variety of gravel bikes have gone for a do-it-all strategy – and the Rover will nonetheless be capable of try this – Michael wished to create a race-ready gravel bike for himself. And it appears Festka followers have been on board with the idea too.
That is an ultra-stiff 1x-specific gravel race bike meant to be as quick because the quickest street bikes, however nonetheless with sufficient house for 44mm tires. Word: Festka up to date the Spectre Gravel with a bit extra accommodating geometry since we first noticed this whole bike which belongs to Michael Moureček.
2nd place: Festka Scalatore for Lab 306
“This bike carries an unbelievable private story. Its proprietor had it constructed as a tribute to a cherished one he misplaced. The clear design and selection of parts create a seemingly understated bike that’s, in actuality, one of the vital superior bike in at the moment’s biking world.”
1st place: Festka Spectre Fireplace
“What extra can I say than this: I experience a motorbike similar to this one myself. Whereas the design may seem easy at first look, it’s really crafted utilizing clear paint and complex layering strategies to create darker sections. It’s a shocking showcase of our painters’ mastery, a design that appears unparalleled in actual life—and one you’re unlikely to see replicated anyplace else.”
Firstly of final 12 months, Festka launched a restricted version Parts design sequence – portray customized Spectre street bike to evoke Fireplace, Water, Earth, or Air. The bike that launched the sequence was this one, ridden across the streets of Kuala Lumpur by Festka’s different co-founder Ondřej Novotný.
Festka artwork director Tom Hnida designed the look with layer after layer of metallic and translucent paints to offer the bikes a deep, wealthy sweet end.
And to date, it appears like Fireplace is the one Aspect sequence bike to be made out there, but. So the opposite 3 designs appear to nonetheless be within the works…